


Crank

by hmw95



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Character Death, Minor Mark/Amy, Superpowers, TeamIplier - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-15 09:03:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14787530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hmw95/pseuds/hmw95
Summary: Ethan lived a normal life, once. Until he found himself not only working for one of the biggest property managers in the area, but also one of the biggest superheroes as well. With newfound abilities for himself, can he bring down their city's biggest threat yet?





	1. Beginning of a Storm

**Author's Note:**

> I've always wanted to write a superhero fic. Always. I thought that when I wrote There's No Time, that I got a part of it out of my system. But NOPE. This idea came to mind. There will be four parts- three chapters and kind of an epilogue. It may hurt a bit at parts, and I'm sorry. I hope you all enjoy!

“You know, the laundry room isn’t even to code.” Ethan ran his hand over the cold metal surface of the washer, which was set up rather precariously. 

 

“Shit.” Mark ran his hand through his black locks. When he saw the smirk his friend was giving him, he rolled his eyes. “Don’t even say it.” 

 

“Say what?” He rapped his knuckles over the metal, cringing at the creaking beneath it. “That you could’ve avoided this, or gotten  _ at least _ a cheaper price if you waited until your good buddy Ethan was there?” 

 

“Hey, you talk about my impulsiveness as if it’s a bad thing… It got you to move here and work with me, didn’t it?” That one got a genuine smile out of the younger man. “Whatever. The margin will just be a tad bit smaller, is all. We’ll be okay.” 

 

After spending a few more minutes taking notes on the repairs needed on the old house, the two made their way back to the sleek, black car. Ethan worked on shoving his notebook into his messenger bag, knowing he would have some calls to make when they got back to the office.

 

He had been working for Mark for just over a year. His official title was Mark’s “personal assistant” but he knew that it was just a name. He was anything Mark needed him to be most days. His assistant, his partner, his friend, his encyclopedia on realty laws. Whatever his  _ boss _ needed, Ethan was there. 

 

“I know I have an open house at four, but anything after that?” Mark slowly eased off of the brake at the newly green light. The younger man pulled out his phone, opening the app that he downloaded just to keep track of his boss’ schedule. 

 

“Hmm… After the open house, dinner and then practice with Amy until the team meets up for the Storm.” Mark nodded thoughtfully. 

 

“Can you do me a favor and check in with Kathryn and see if she repaired everything in time for the Storm? I can do the open house on my own. I’ll drop you off.” Of course, he would agree to that. He knew that the house they had just left was an anomaly- Mark usually wasn’t too impulsive when it came to that sort of purchase. 

 

They pulled up to the complex, a neat four story building. He exited the vehicle, going through the glass doors and peeking over to the right, seeing Amy in the middle of teaching a class of younger children. He shook his head in amusement. 

 

Amy taught martial arts classes for all age groups, all the way through to eight in the evening. She was insanely skilled and strong, even if some of the men in her evening classes liked to think they could best her. They were always put in their place fairly quickly. She was the best fighter he knew, and knowing the people he did… That was a huge compliment.

 

He finally took his eyes off of the lean martial artist and went, instead, upstairs to the next set of doors. The plaque beside the door reading  _ Dr. Tyler Scheid Primary Care _ . This time, he pushed his way inside, passing a few people in the waiting area. He waved to Pam at the desk, who smiled and returned the gesture happily. He pulled out his keycard, scanning himself in to the door behind her. A few more turns, and he saw the brunette girl he was looking for, typing away on her computer. 

 

“Heya, Kat.” She jumped, placing her hand over her chest.

 

“Damn it, Blue boy, you can’t do that.” He smirked.

 

“I’m not blue anymore, Kath. You know I dyed it so I looked less weird at open houses.” She spun in her chair to face him, and he took a seat. 

 

“Doesn’t matter. You’ll always be Blue inside.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m guessing you’re checking in to see if everything’s ready for tonight? Since Red is an idiot who breaks equipment all the time.” He huffed a laugh. They really were lucky that Mark thought of them as more of friends than employees. “I swear, if Tyler stopped paying me for working for him and Mark instead just paid me every time I had to fix something, I would still make more money than all of you  _ combined _ .” 

 

“You don’t see me arguing that point.” She just pulled out the small device, along with the previously broken attachment. “So it’s all ready to go for tonight?” She nodded her head. “Thanks, Kathryn! Did you wanna do dinner tonight?” She sighed.

 

“Unfortunately, Mark’s stuff put me behind on work here. So I’ll probably just have to order in during the Storm.” He frowned. “It’s whatever. I don’t think Amy has plans, though, so I’d ask her once her class is over.” 

 

The two spoke for a bit more, about other things in life. They were friends, after all. Not everything had to be about business. Finally, though, she had to get back to work. Before heading upstairs to  _ his _ office, he popped his head in to Tyler’s office and offered the big man a quick greeting. The guy was always busy, owning his own practice and all, but it didn’t hurt to still stop in and see him. He couldn’t always make it to the Storm. 

 

He always kept a change of clothes at the office, knowing how easily he was roped into practicing with Amy. He normally had to wear suits or business casual attire when he was out with Mark. There was no way he could wear that kind of stuff when working with her. He changed out of his suit once he made it to his office, before getting on his computer and logging everything in his notebook about the house they had just visited. 

 

Ethan was always efficient- he never did anything halfway. It was one of the reasons why Mark hired him on the year prior. The two had met when Ethan was visiting LA with family. They had happened to meet out at a coffee shop, where Mark was busily working and looking half dead. The, at the time, blue-haired boy told him how bad he looked and asked if he had anyone working for him. The older man joked about just hiring him since he was so eager, and Ethan played along, helping him organize his clutter at the table. Safe to say, numbers were exchanged and months later, he was invited to move to LA.

 

His family was ecstatic- his dad looked Mark up, to make sure that the man wasn’t suspicious. They were surprised to discover that he was a fairly successful house flipper and property manager. He was just doing it all on his own, which was unbelievable. 

 

Ethan helped the guy out every chance he could, and quickly became close to Mark and his tight knit group of friends. Months into working with the man, he was brought into the  _ inner _ -inner circle and let in on some pretty big secrets. And the  _ Storms _ . One truly didn’t feel alive until they experienced one of those. 

 

He made a few calls for the repairs, making notes to check on them the next day as well. He checked the time- it was 4:30, meaning he still had at least an hour before Mark would even have a chance of being back for his plans with Amy. He sighed, deciding on tidying up his office for the night before heading down to catch the end of his friend’s class. She was working with a group of teens, her last before Mark’s personal slot at 6, and her adults class at 7. 

 

As the last of the group cleared out, Amy turned off her sign on the window and took a swig of water. “What’s up, Eth?” 

 

“Dinner?” It wasn’t difficult to convince her. They went out and grabbed something at the diner a few blocks down, enjoying a good burger and fries. It was nice to indulge every once in a while. By the time their dinner was finished, they each had a few texts from Mark asking where they were. It was close to 6, after all.

 

By the time they arrived back at the complex, Mark was already in the studio and stretching. Amy rolled her eyes.

 

“You’re so impatient.” No one argued- it was fairly established that he was impatient, afterall. He couldn’t wait for Ethan to get home from visiting family before buying a house to flip. He was guilty, on all accounts. “You joining today, Blue?” He shrugged. 

 

“Why not?”

 

-

 

Mark kissed his girlfriend before beginning the climb up the stairs to his office as a sweaty mess. Ethan continued behind him, in a similar state. He had done gymnastics for a large portion of his life, so he took to Amy’s lessons a whole lot easier than his boss did. But it was still  _ hard _ . Amy made it look easy.

 

After going over a few things from the open house, they made their way to the fourth floor. It was only accessible from Mark’s office, with a keycard. For good reason. 

 

Kathryn was already waiting for them, having already set out the equipment and getting the large computer ready in front of her. She smiled at their entry. “Hey Red and Blue. You guys ready for a good Storm tonight?” Mark rolled his eyes, grabbing his outfit off it’s stand at the back of the room. He always thought that it was weird to hear it said like that.  _ Storm _ . It was code for his biggest secret. His entire team’s biggest secret, really.

 

During the day, Mark was the renowned property owner and house flipper. At night, he would dress himself in a tight, crimson, armored suit and fight crime. 

 

He was the one on the news every day, the man flying through the town and saving people. He was the one who controlled the weather, who created storms everywhere he went for the bad guys. 

 

At night, Mark was the superhero known as Red Storm. 

 

-

 

It was nearing midnight, and Amy stifled a yawn. She had joined the crew after she had finished cleaning up for the night in the studio. She snuck off into the small apartment attached to the fourth floor, and snuck a shower before throwing on a headset of her own. Tyler had poked in to check on everyone, to make sure Mark was safe, before heading home for the night around 9.

 

Ethan had his chair set behind Amy and Kathryn, allowing the two of them to lead Mark around on his nightly patrol. The two were always the best at it- Kathryn with the strategies, Amy aiding with leading him through combat. Ethan spent most nights pretty quiet, unless he was needed.

 

He never doubted that he was good at his day job. Organization? Being in a thousand places at once? That was easy for him. He mostly had issues finding his place on  _ this  _ team. 

 

He was the newest member, so he expected it in the beginning. Everyone already had their roles. Kathryn leading with technology and strategy, Amy with combat, Tyler with medical support in case Mark really did end up getting himself hurt. Ethan, on the other hand… He didn’t really know where he stood. 

 

He didn’t really have much to offer on this side of things- his endless organization skills meant nothing here, and his mind didn’t always think quickly enough to help his superpowered friend out. He was always a  _ doer _ , but it wouldn’t help his friend if he were out in the field with him. 

 

Mark would usually be out until 3 or 4 in the morning before calling it quits. By the time that arrived, it was usually only him and Kathryn that were still awake. Amy would go to the attached apartment to sleep until her boyfriend finished up his patrol and everyone could head out. 

 

Ethan didn’t know how Mark could do everything else that he did and  _ still _ go out every night to fight crime. He had looked up to his boss since the day he began to work for him, when he saw all that the older man did throughout the day on his own. His loyalty and wonder only grew as he got to know him and was let in the big secret. 

 

Though, he constantly wondered  _ why _ \- why was he let in on the secret? To make it easier as his assistant? To know everything going on? To be a cheerleader on the sidelines? He just didn’t really understand why  _ he  _ deserved a spot on the Red Storm’s team. 

 

Mark had made through the night without damaging any more equipment, to Kathryn’s relief. Breaking his communicator the night before had not only been a chore to fix, but a big scare when they lost contact with him. Luckily, they still had visuals through his headgear for it. 

 

Mark peeled his suit off, bidding everyone a good night. He stayed to take a shower before he would head home for the night. 

 

Ethan began the walk to his apartment- it was a measly five blocks away from work. Everyone offered him rides, but he honestly didn’t mind. He liked stretching out his legs. He liked how still the city seemed at that time- with very few stragglers in that part of town. It was a peaceful walk. He was usually exhausted enough that he would only be able to take a quick shower before falling into bed. He was quick to sleep at night. 

 

He had it pretty good- he had a great job, a great group of friends. He didn’t see anything changing any time soon, but he didn’t mind. He was happy. Well… He was content. He did what he was good at, and made sure he didn’t get in the way for the rest of it. He was  _ content. _

 

-

 

Of course, the universe always had plans on spicing it up. He was exhausted, working on Mark’s planner for the month. He was taking off for the holidays, visiting his family. He had to make sure Mark had a copy of all of his plans for the days of his absence. They usually made it on a weekly basis, unless bigger plans were needed, but he had to do it all  _ now _ . His mind was exhausted. 

 

It didn’t help that he could hear Tyler and Mark arguing in his boss’ office. He sighed. 

 

Mark had gotten hurt the night before, twisting his knee rather badly. Tyler told him that he most likely wouldn’t be able to patrol that night, and the super hero blew up him. 

 

After even more raised voices filtered through, Ethan shoved his work away and stomped over to the other office. The two men sent sharp stares in his direction as he entered. 

 

“What the  _ hell _ , guys?” He interrupted their tense conversation. Mark’s face was red. 

 

“Ethan would agree with me, man. I can’t take a night off! You have to understand!” Tyler crossed his arms. 

 

“You’re too hurt! One night won’t kill the city- you need to rest.” The tall man turned toward the new person in the room. “Ethan?” As if he would back him up immediately. The man in question let out a breath.

 

“I mean, you both are kind of right. Mark, you’ve been on crutches all day. But Tyler… It  _ is  _ unsafe to leave the city unprotected.” Both of his friends didn’t look too happy with him. “I would say…” He paused. “I think you should call Septic and see if he’ll help you out for the night. Maybe call the night early tonight. That way, less stress. And try and hover instead of run tonight, so you don’t hurt your knee any worse.” Both men still were glaring. 

 

“But I don’t  _ want  _ to call Septic.” Mark was on the borderline of whining. Ethan rolled his eyes.

 

“Really? It’s just one night. He’s not just randomly going to take all your fame, so quit that.” Okay, so maybe Ethan was pretty good at calling his boss out on his shit as well. “If not, I’ll just side with Tyler and get the girls in on it.” Mark, still red in the face, turned to his computer and sent began the process of sending an encrypted message to Septic about a team up for the night. After realizing that the argument was  _ finally _ over, Ethan went back to his office to continue his work. 

 

The day before Ethan was supposed to catch a plane back home to Maine, he passed Mark’s office only to see the man looking more stressed out than he had in a  _ long  _ while. Since Ethan was hired, really. He peeked his head in.

 

“You doing okay, boss man?” Mark tried to cover up his exhaustion with a smile, nodding his head. 

 

“Of course, man. Just thinking about how much I’ll miss you, is all.” Of course, he tried to deflect the attention off of himself as well. 

 

“It’s not that you’re running yourself ragged again?” His boss suddenly looked guilty. “Look, if I need to cancel and help out with some more stuff to take a bit of the load off, I can…” 

 

“ _ Absolutely _ not!” Mark looked horrified that he even suggested it. “It’s… It’s other stuff, anyways. Don’t worry about it.” 

 

“Psh, now I’m just going to worry about it.” Ethan pulled up a seat to the front of Mark’s desk. “Talk to me. What’s going on?” 

 

Mark sighed. “I think… I’m just tired. I do a lot, you know.” Ethan nodded.

 

“That’s understandable. I know how much you do in a day. And that’s even with me taking a portion of the load off.” Mark shrugged. “Wait, you mean… Storm stuff, don’t you? That’s what’s getting you do so exhausted?” The other man just shrugged once more, not committing to an answer. “Why don’t you get some help there, then? Make a team or something.” 

 

“It’s just… The only people I can absolutely depend on are you, Tyler and the girls. I can’t… I can’t see myself teaming up with some other super just to try to get some rest. I don’t think my mind would be able to.” Mark opened up.

 

“Just think about it, okay?” His boss reluctantly agreed. “I mean, if you  _ were  _ going to grab one of us for a duo, I’d hope it would be Amy. She could kick some serious ass.” That caused the older man to let out a loud laugh.

 

“More like kick  _ my  _ ass.” The two then shared a laugh. “Though, it wouldn’t be that hard to get her set up like a super. She has the skill and everything, she would just need some gadgets. I could… Maybe…” He stopped himself. “You know what? No. I’m  _ not  _ putting my girlfriend in danger. Fuck that.” 

 

“It was just an idea, man. You’re the one who ran with it for a second.” Ethan checked the time. He was supposed to head home soon and finish packing up for his trip. “Well, I gotta get going. Try and think of some way to help yourself out, okay?” 

 

“Fine, fine.” Mark acted like he was being nagged at, but Ethan knew that the other man had taken what he said to heart. “You have a good trip, okay? I don’t want you calling and checking up on us until January.” 

 

“What, when I walk through the damn door?” 

 

“Yes!” Mark called out. Ethan could only roll his eyes.

 

-

 

Being with his family was strange after spending so much time and energy on his life in Los Angeles. It usually took him a few days to even unwind. He was so tired and out of it the first few days. He spent a good portion of it in bed. It didn’t help that within just hours of arriving on the east side of the states, he was slammed with a  _ massive _ headache. He wondered if it was from the sudden relief of stress. Probably, honestly.

 

He remembered his headache peaking the second afternoon he was home, and just wanting it to be  _ over _ . He just wanted to hide in darkness and be away for a bit. But there were too many lights- he couldn’t even stand the light seeping in from underneath his door. He found himself nearly  _ praying  _ for the light to shut off. Maybe if he willed it hard enough it would happen…

 

After a click, the light shut off. He breathed out in relief, settling himself down to take another nap.  _ Peace. _

 

-

 

Ethan finally found himself feeling human early the next morning, stumbling down into the kitchen. He didn’t expect to see the whole place in  _ darkness _ . He shivered, running back into his room to grab some warmer clothes. What was going on? There wasn’t any power to any of the house. He couldn’t even open the fridge to grab anything, for fear of letting any cold air out. 

 

He kept himself busy for the next hour, until the sun began to rise, along with some of his family members. As his dad joined the land of the living, Ethan turned to him.

 

“What’s the deal? Did we lose power?” He had a light headache left over, but it was nothing too terrible. He knew his family felt terrible about him being down for the count. 

 

“Yep- yesterday around four. You’re lucky you slept through it all. Glad you’re feeling better, though.” Ethan wondered if the lights going out in the hall had to do with the outage… Weird. “I tried to see if I could fix it, but no go. We have an electrician coming by in about an hour to take a look.” The younger man could only nod. 

 

He was bombarded with thoughts- but they were  _ impossible _ ones. He had been spending far too much time with his superhero of a boss. There was no way that this strange happenstance occurred  _ just  _ because Ethan was begging the universe for it. It was just a coincidence. It had to be. 

 

He kept up his mantra of it being a coincidence, even as his dad greeted the electrician, a gentle looking man in his early 50s. He hoped it would be an easy fix. He wondered… If he begged for it again, if he focused-

 

The lights clicked on. He was overcome with vertigo.  _ What _ ?

 

It was only a few moments later when the man bounded back up the stairs from the basement with his father trailing behind him. 

 

“Didn’t even need to touch the box. Sometimes the lines are just temperamental.” He didn’t… The electrician wasn’t the one to fix it? Ethan felt sick.

 

He could tell himself that it  _ was  _ just a weird thing that happened. He could try. But he just  _ knew _ . He remembered Mark’s stories about when he discovered he had powers- about how terrified he was when he told Tyler about it as a teenager. It just  _ started _ . He suddenly could do things that others couldn’t do. 

 

Ethan took a trip out later that day, finding a secluded part of town. He sat on a bench, overlooking an empty park. There was a street lamp nearby. Ethan focused on it, hoping that he was just crazy. 

 

The bulb  _ shattered _ .

 

-

 

By the time Christmas was over with, Ethan’s emotions were all over the place. Part of him wanted to call Mark, to ask him for advice, but he just… He couldn’t bring himself to do it. It was some sort of fluke. There was no way that  _ he _ , Ethan, would have  _ powers _ . No way. 

 

Yet, the universe continuously proved him wrong. He found out new things he could do. Of course, he was limited to just turning some lights on and off. 

  
He found himself heating up his mug of coffee after letting it get too cool, just by picturing it bubbling in the cup. Accidentally turning his shower ice cold. It didn’t make sense. He tried to find the connection between all of it, only to find  _ energy _ . 

 

He tested it out by turning the music down at their Christmas party. His aunt knocked the side of the receiver, huffing about how their speakers must be going out because the volume’s number was still at the same number as before, but too quiet. He moved things around his room. It was too  _ weird _ . 

 

Somehow, Ethan had superpowers. 

 

He didn’t know how or why, but he did. After testing out the lengths of his ability it just seemed like he could manipulate  _ energy _ . Sound, kinetic, light… He could control  _ energy _ . 

 

He was reeling from it so much that his dad pulled him aside and asked him if everything was okay at their New Year’s Eve party. What was he supposed to say?  _ “Hey dad I just found out I have powers and am having a crisis. Help!”  _ Like that would go over well… He just told him that he wasn’t feeling his best, and his dad just pat his shoulder as if he didn’t believe him. He left him alone, anyhow. 

 

In fact, his dad almost  _ coddled _ him throughout the last few days of his trip. Made him breakfast, took him out to do things… He knew something was wrong, even if Ethan wouldn’t tell him. He just wanted to cheer his son up. 

 

Even as his dad dropped him off at the airport, the man gave him a massive hug. He put his hands on Ethan’s shoulders, forcing hazel eyes to look up. 

 

“If you ever need anything, I’m a phone call away okay?” Ethan just nodded his head, giving his dad another hug goodbye. “I love you, Ethan.” He smiled at his father.

 

“I love you too, Dad. Thanks for everything.” He then had to hop on a plane, and fly eight hours back to Los Angeles. His thoughts raced the entire time- does he need to talk to Mark about all of it? Should he keep quiet? 

 

As he sat in his deep thought the self doubt began to crawl in. What place would he have? Superpowers do not automatically equal super _ hero _ . Mark worked his  _ ass _ off to do what he did, and he could never live up to that name. He needed to keep quiet until he could figure out what he was supposed to do- what he  _ wanted  _ to do about his newfound powers. 

 

He found himself unable to sleep that night, playing with things around his room by manipulating the fields of energy around him until he started getting a headache. By the time that happened, it was nearly five in the morning and he only had another few hours before he was supposed to go into his first day back at work. 

 

He huffed a sigh before hopping in the shower. 

 

-

 

Ethan was sipping his third cup of coffee by the time Mark strolled into the office. The younger man had already started on his boss’ planner for the week, and went over notes and emails. He was so focused that he didn’t even notice Mark enter the building. He jumped when a hand touched his shoulder. 

 

“Shit, Ethan, are you okay?” He nodded, finally leaning back in his chair. “Are you sure? I’ve been here for an hour and you haven’t even looked away from your screen. I’ve been trying to talk to you for like, five minutes.” 

 

“I’m fine. Just… Didn’t really sleep. Jet lag or something.” Mark seemed suspicious, but he patted his friend’s shoulder once more. 

 

“Okay, man. Just tell me if you need anything. Like a nap, for instance.” Ethan gave a tired smile at that. “Just saying. You look dead on your feet.” The brunette shrugged. 

 

“You’re not wrong. I’ll wake up as the day goes on, don’t worry about me.” 

 

It, of course, didn’t stop Mark from worrying. It didn’t stop any of his friends from worrying. Throughout the week, each of his friends seemed to stop in and check on him. He realized that he needed to perk up or else things would not work. 

 

He tried to smile more. He tried to join in with everyone more. He was sure everyone knew something was going on, but also knew that he wasn’t going to budge any time soon. They still did small gestures, but February rolled around and no one still had any idea what was wrong with him. 

 

He woke up one morning in the middle of February to hear his phone ringing. With all the practicing he had been doing, it was easy to manipulate the sound waves to be  _ slightly  _ more quiet. He had a raging headache, but still managed to answer his phone.

 

“‘Lo?” He grumbled into the phone. It been a long night, the night before. He couldn’t sleep- and now this call was coming in at seven? He didn’t even need to get up for work that day. 

 

“Hey, Ethan! Did I wake you?” Amy’s voice came over the line. He rubbed at his eyes, sitting up in the bed. 

 

“Yeah, but you’re fine. What’s up?” He yawned. Obviously she needed something, or else she wouldn’t have called.

 

“I have a couple of kids’ birthday parties at the studio today, and Mark hurt his ribs last night during the Storm, and I was wondering…” She spoke quickly, but Ethan cut her off. Mark had hurt his ribs fairly badly, to the point of Tyler convincing him to take even the night off. 

 

“You want me to help you run the parties?” His voice was still thick with sleep.

 

“Yes! If you can, of course. If you can’t, I’ll call Tyler or something. But…” 

 

“I’m on it. What time do you need me?” 

 

-

 

Days like that day reminded Ethan that he was nowhere near ready to have kids. They drove him  _ insane _ . 

 

Friends and family always told him that he was great with them, but he just couldn’t do it for too long. Amy was happy to have a friend there, even if most of it was just moral support. The parties were half martial arts class, half party. They played martial arts related games. He didn’t know how Amy did it. 

 

By the time they had cleaned up after the last party, and set up the studio to be clean and ready for Monday’s classes, it was dark out. Ethan and Amy threw on their light jackets and stepped out, the woman turning to lock the door on their way out. 

 

“You mind walking me home? I just… With Mark’s  _ other _ job, it makes me slightly paranoid and all that…” She seemed a little nervous asking. Ethan held out his arm, allowing her to loop hers in his elbow. 

 

“I will  _ never  _ mind. I want you to get home safe, you know.” She smiled, hugging his arm close to her. He was glad that his group of friends were so close to one another. Neither of them had to worry about showing affection for one another, despite her dating Mark. 

 

The two of them chatted for most of the walk, strolling through the mostly empty streets. She lived further away from the complex than he did, making the walk much longer than his normal one back home. The air held a breeze in it- something he learned to never take for granted in Los Angeles weather. 

 

“Hey, Ethan?” Amy spoke up, her voice suddenly sounding less confident than it had all day. He turned to her.

 

“Yeah?” 

 

“You know you can talk to us, right? About anything?” His heart sank. She sounded so…  _ Hurt _ . “I know… I know something’s been going on since you’ve been back from Maine, but… We can try and help you. No matter what it is. I just… I  _ hate  _ seeing you keeping it all bottled in, Blue.” 

 

“Amy… It’s not that simple.” He started. Her eyes widened as he realized that he just confirmed their suspicions of something actually being  _ wrong _ . 

 

“It doesn’t have to be, Ethan.” She assured him. “We’re your friends. Your problems are  _ our  _ problems.” 

 

He was about to tell her, too. About to open his mouth and spill the beans. But he didn’t have to, after all. There were footsteps from the alleyway behind them, and the very obvious sound of a gun’s safety being clicked off. Both of them froze.

 

“Stop what you’re doing and hand the purse over. Wallet too.” Ethan’s back was facing the assailant, and he slowly turned with his hands in the air. The hand holding the gun was steady- he wasn’t new at this. It meant he wasn’t afraid to do what he thought he needed to do. “Fucking do it!” Amy dropped her purse, her hands shaking. Her boyfriend may be the ‘heartthrob superhero’ Red Storm, but she didn’t handle these types of things well. The thought of something bad happening  _ terrified _ her.    
  


Ethan stood still, his hands shaking. He could feel the energy buzzing around him- the light, the sound. The slow moving particles around the cool metal of the gun in the mugger’s hand. 

 

“Do you fucking speak english? Wallet,  _ now _ !” The man took a menacing step forward. Ethan’s hands didn’t go near his wallet. 

 

“You don’t need to do this, man. Just let us go. We won’t give you any trouble.” Ethan’s voice was much more calm than he felt inside. Amy’s hands came to his shoulder. 

 

“Ethan! Shut the  _ fuck _ up- Just do what he says!” Her voice was sharp in his ears, the sound piercing through the thick blanket of energy that his entire being was suddenly so aware of. 

 

“Listen to your girlfriend and give up your damn wallet. Or else I’ll send a fucking bullet through her skull.” The threat made alarms go off in Ethan’s skull.

  
“Don’t you fucking  _ think  _ about hurting her!” The anger he felt made the bulb above their head flicker, before it burst into shattered glass. It was the least of their problems, with a gun being flashed in front of their faces. He pulled Amy behind him, and she gripped his shirt tightly. 

 

“Then just give me your money and I’ll be on my way.” When did the gunman get so close? He went from a good six or seven feet to maybe three. Ethan gulped.

 

“ _ No. _ ” He knew what he had to do. Did he really think he could keep it a secret from  _ all  _ of his friends for forever? The man in front of him scoffed.

 

“Are you kidding me? You’re a fucking idiot, man. And now it’s gonna make you  _ die _ …” The man was on a mission, making the motion to charge at them. He could feel Amy pulling at his shirt in terror.

 

“ _ Ethan _ !” She screamed, her voice cutting through the power he felt surging through him. He drew everything he could in- from the sparking bulb above them, to the TV that was blaring through an open window in a building nearby. He felt it course through him, and he felt his hands  _ glow _ with the sheer amount of energy coursing through his veins. 

 

“What the fuck?” The man whispered, the gun lowering as he turned to run. Ethan took the opportunity to send the bolt of energy in his direction, sending the man to the ground in front of them, unconscious. The two friends stood still, as everything seemed much more quiet than before. Ethan huffed, as he felt the energy seeping out of him and back into the world. His head hurt.  _ Everything  _ hurt. He  _ definitely  _ did not know he had the power to do  _ that _ . 

 

He suddenly remembered that someone else had no idea he could do that, either. He turned to Amy, seeing her jaw slack in shock. 

  
“Ethan… You have  _ a lot  _ to explain.” 

 

That he did, indeed.


	2. Discovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This originally was meant to be a 4 parter, with 3 chapters and an epilogue of sorts. This chapter ended up forcing me to make the decision to split one section into two. Now, there will be 4 chapters and an epilogue. Thank you for all the kind words of encouragement on the first part- I'm glad people are actually enjoying it!

Ethan sat on Amy’s couch, resting his aching skull against the arm as the woman herself paced on the rug beside him. He was thankful that Kathryn was out with friends for the night. 

 

“So… You go back home and get a massive migraine that turned into  _ superpowers _ ? How does that make any sense?” She was just trying to make sense of it. Ethan didn’t blame her. He shrugged.

 

“It doesn’t. I don’t know, dude. I just suddenly had powers and didn’t know what to do about them.” Amy finally sat on the couch beside him, her body still tense. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you… I just… I didn’t know how to.” She turned to him.

 

“How to tell your friends, who already manage one of the biggest superheros of the town, that you somehow developed powers? Really?” She spoke, disbelief drenching her words. He finally took his head from its resting place to meet her eyes.

 

“I don’t know! It’s kind of a big deal, Amy!” He lashed out. He felt immediately horrible about it as she went quiet. “I still don’t want Mark to know about it.” 

 

“But why?” He felt her hands rest themselves on his forearm. He tried to be gentle as he pulled his arm away from touch. He could feel the heat from her hands. The energy. He was far too sensitive. He forced himself to look away, not wanting to see the hurt in her eyes. 

 

“You know why- I’m not ready for this. I’m not ready for  _ any  _ of this.” Ethan took a deep breath. “He’d be so excited, Amy. I’ve never… I’ve never had a real place on the team-” She tried to cut him off, but he shushed her. “I know you all know that I have no real place there. I’m just…  _ There _ .” She stayed quiet, despite the look on her face showing she had many words about that. “If I told him right now, there’d be…  _ Pressure _ . I’m not ready to be some type of superhero, Amy. I’m not even ready to have powers for fuck’s sake!” He buried his face into the crook of his arm. She scooted closer, careful not to touch him. 

 

“Fine. I won’t tell him.” She whispered. It was hard to hear over the buzzing in his skull and around the room.

 

“Thank you.” He responded. The two sat in silence for a few moments, before Ethan broke it by shutting the lights off in the room. Amy startled beside him. “Sorry. The lights were giving me a headache.” 

 

“Just warn me next time, okay?” He only nodded. He didn’t feel like walking home that night- he knew he could crash on the couch. He also knew that Amy would have a lot more to talk to him about in the coming days. 

 

Until then, he slept.

 

-

 

Mark, of course, was  _ furious _ when he found out that they nearly were mugged on their walk home. Ethan was already at his desk when he heard his boss stomping into the office. He continued working on the older man’s planner until he heard his door open. 

 

“When were you going to tell me?” Ethan's thoughts immediately went to the worst case scenario and thought that the man had somehow discovered his big secret. His eyes were wide. 

 

“I…” He didn't have a chance to finish, with his boss cutting him off.

 

“Did you not think that it was important? That some guy holding a gun to you and my girlfriend wasn't important to tell me?” Ethan felt bad for how relieved he was to hear it. “I know I'm hurt, but you still could've called me. I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to either of you.”

 

“I'm sorry… I just thought… I didn’t want you to worry.” He also didn’t want him to find out about a few other things, but that was a fairly big one. Mark pulled a chair up beside Ethan’s desk, wincing as he sat beside him. 

 

“I hate feeling so useless.” His boss muttered, rubbing his hand over his injured rib cage. Ethan pulled away from his desk to turn to his friend. 

 

“You’ll get better, and things will go back to normal. You’ve just got to hang in there, man.” He pat his friend on the shoulder. “You’re the most dependable person I know. I know if you weren’t hurt you’d have been there in an instant. But Mark… We’re okay. We’ll be okay. Just focus on you right now, okay?” Mark nodded his head, but stayed silent. Ethan turned back to his work, and the two began to go over the older man’s schedule for the week. They had been talking for a few moments, when Mark finally spoke.

 

“Why’d you start doing that?” He pointed at the screen; nothing in particular, just the screen. 

 

“Doing what?” His friend gently pointed toward a small bit of text typed in at the top of each day on his digital planner. A small quote for encouragement every single day. He wasn’t sure he did it more for Mark or for himself. He was sure they both looked at the pages enough for it to work for either.

 

“You started doing it late last year. I mean, I don’t mind it… I actually kind of enjoy it, but why?” Ethan shrugged.

 

“You spend 50 percent of your time working your ass off here and 50 percent being a superhero.  _ But  _ you spend 100 percent of your time stressing out about everything. I just… I know it’s just a small thing, but I wanted to help.” He didn’t even know that his boss had noticed. Mark offered a small smile.

 

“And it has. Trust me.” There were a few more moments of silence. “You know, you can always talk to me about anything right?” Ethan sighed. “I just want you to know that. You may be the newest one here, but you’re family. Your burdens are ours.” The hazel eyed man felt a small amount of guilt fill him. “I know… Amy told me that you talked to her, that you were okay and just dealing with some really personal stuff…” He felt the guilt only grow. “But I just want you to know that my office is always open. That my home is always open.” Ethan only managed a nod when a buzzer went off in the office, signalling the arrival of a guest. 

 

Mark stood, making his way to the door. They didn’t often get visitors at their floor, unless it was a property owner or a friend. Ethan couldn’t help but be a little nosy as he watched his boss answer the door. He could see the familiar face of Jack, one of Mark’s pals from the other end of the neighborhood. He could barely overhear their conversation.

 

“I wasn’t expecting to see you today, Jack.” Very true. Normally the man was too busy doing other things- he owned a restaurant, he knew. Another location was supposed to open in the next few months several miles north in the city. He had seen Mark scour through properties on the market to see if one would work for his friend’s business. 

 

“I was nearby. I figured I’d check on you; see how you were doing. You’re still hurt?” He hadn’t gotten super close to Jack, but the two conversed every once in a while when he came in. He also was in sometimes to take some of Amy’s classes. 

 

“Yeah. Fucking rib injuries, man. They really put you out.” He sometimes wondered how much about Mark’s life that Jack actually knew about. He knew that the two of them had known each other for a couple of years longer than Ethan knew Mark. He also knew that Mark had been doing his superhero stuff for about five or six years. 

 

“Well, I just wanted to stop by. I have to stop back at my place. Hope to see you out and around soon.” The man was gone nearly as quickly as he had arrived. It only took a few moments for Mark to poke his head back into Ethan’s office.

 

“Want to grab lunch?” 

 

-

 

It was fairly obvious that there was some awkward tension between Amy and Ethan. It had been nearly a week since she had discovered his secret, and the two hadn’t been avoiding one another necessarily, but things were definitely not normal. 

 

“Is everything okay with you and Amy?” He had been spending a few of his lunches with Kathryn and Tyler on the second floor, hoping to avoid questions from Mark and awkwardness from Amy. The only problem was the fact that his friends were far too observant for their own good. Tyler tended to be a little more blunt, as well. He turned to his larger friend.

 

“It’s fine. We just…” He tried to think of something convincing to tell them. Kathryn turned her head, invested in the new conversation. She had arrived home the morning after everything had happened to find an exhausted Ethan out cold on their living room couch, in pitch darkness. Amy had only told her not to worry about it, that he had a rough night. She knew there was more to it, but she didn’t want to be invasive. “We had a really deep talk, and it’s kind of weird to get back to normal talk after that.” It was close enough to the truth, after all. 

 

“Anything having to do with how weird you’ve been since you’ve come home from Maine?” Kathryn hadn’t meant to speak up, but the words came out. Tyler sent a pointed look in her direction. 

 

“I… Guess?” He still wasn’t lying. Well, not entirely. “I don’t know if Mark told you guys, but the two of us almost got mugged on Saturday.” He rubbed at the back of his neck nervously. This grabbed the attention from the other two people in the room. 

 

“Seriously? And you’re just now saying this?” Tyler sounded more than a little miffed. 

 

“She mentioned  _ something  _ happening that night, but not… Like that.” Kathryn added, a little shocked. 

 

“Yeah. It’s been a rough week. We talked about some serious stuff after, and I crashed at your guys’ place. I just… I need to get back in the swing of things. Can’t hold onto things, you know?” Tyler nodded, still upset at being left out, but understanding. 

 

Lunch then continued on as normal. In fact, it actually went a bit better than before. 

 

The Storm went as planned that night, with Mark’s frustration at being injured working well in his favor against criminals. He was still sore, and had to take it easy, but he could  _ fight _ . The man was ecstatic. 

 

While everyone was packing up for the night, Amy sidled up to Ethan. He turned to the girl, noticing her nervous expression. 

 

“Help me with a party tomorrow morning?” She requested, glancing to the others in the room. Tyler had actually stayed up that night, and he was in doctor mode, checking Mark’s ribs for further injury. Kathryn was cleaning up equipment, setting everything up for the next Storm. 

 

“What about Mark?” He knew exactly why Amy wanted to steal him away. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for a real conversation about everything. Her eyes flitted around the room, making sure no one was in a place to eavesdrop. 

 

“We need to talk. About  _ everything _ .” He gulped. “Please?” He nodded, hoping he didn’t give anything away to the others. “Thanks, Ethan. I’ll see you bright and early?” He could only force himself to nod once more.

 

-

 

He was on his second cup of coffee by the time he approached the studio. He peered in only to see Amy already stretching on the mats. He set his bag down on an open seat, before approaching. He saw that most of the birthday supplies were already set up. 

 

“Amy?” She barely acknowledged his entrance. “What’s going on? I thought you needed help?” She finally paused in her movements. 

 

“More like  _ you  _ need help.” Amy turned to him. “Join me.” He reluctantly toed off his shoes and stepped on the mat and sat beside her. “I told you, we needed to talk. Without the others.” He scooted closer to her. 

 

“Well, what did you want to talk about?” She rolled her eyes. 

 

“Are you kidding me, Eth?” She crossed her arms. “You have  _ superpowers _ . You  _ mostly  _ have control over them. Why are we keeping this a secret?” 

 

“I told you. I don’t know if I want to be a superhero. At least… Not  _ yet. _ ” She opened her mouth to talk, but he continued. “There would be pressure to do so, and you know it. I don’t know… I don’t know if I have what it takes.” She suddenly got to her feet. 

 

“Yet. You don’t know if you have what it takes  _ yet _ .” He reluctantly followed her motions. 

 

“What’re you getting at, Amy?” She grabbed his hand, her eyes meeting his. 

 

“All you’ve ever done is casual training with me. We could work on stuff. Just you and me. Make you into a true superhero.” He pulled his hand away. 

 

“That’s why you wanted me here? You want to  _ train  _ me?” She gave a smile and a nod. “But… How? Isn’t most of it powers and stuff? And weren’t you about ready to piss yourself when we were getting mugged?” She crossed her arms.

 

“I’m going to ignore that last comment, first of all. No need to be a dick.” Ethan felt a little guilty- she was right. He didn’t have to be rude about it. It  _ was  _ a scary situation. “I’m better with the moves, not the confrontation. That shit scares me. And that’s completely normal. But you… You charged right in. I’m sure you didn’t even think about powers in that moment, did you?” She wasn’t wrong. His eyes left hers. “You just thought about protecting me. That’s some superhero thoughts right there, Blue.” 

  
“Okay, okay… Maybe you’re right. But that still didn’t answer how you’re supposed to  _ train a superhero. _ That’s powers and stuff. You don’t have powers.” She scoffed. 

 

“You wound my pride!” She clutched at her chest. “Mark was a super before we met, but I taught him moves and methods that he had never  _ dreamed  _ of. I may not be able to teach you how to use your powers, but I can teach you moves and give you a safe place to  _ practice _ your powers. What do you say?” Ethan met her brown eyes once more. 

 

“You’re not really giving me a choice, are you?” She happily shook her head. He sighed. “I guess I’m in, then.” Her mouth spread into a wide grin. 

 

“We’ll make you into a superhero yet, Blue. Just you wait.” He had his doubts, but a part of him hoped she was right.

 

-

 

It was the beginning of something entirely new for the two friends. The two of them were training every single morning. It was  _ tiring _ . 

 

At times, they would even head home early on Storm nights, knowing they had a lengthy training session in the morning. The two were filling most of their free time in the studio,with the blinds drawn, working on Ethan’s abilities. Luckily, he was a quick learner. 

 

“Shit, Ethan, that maneuver took Mark  _ months  _ to learn.” He could feel his chest puffing up at that. “And you don’t think you’ll be a good super?  _ Really _ ?”

 

After just a month, he had made insane amounts of progress. He felt more comfortable in his own skin, well on his way to mastering his new abilities. Amy was always in awe when he used them. She always had a fascination with superpowers- both his and Mark’s fit the bill. 

 

After two months, the two of them would talk about hypotheticals- about what would happen  _ if  _ he ended up deciding on becoming a superhero. 

 

“What would your name be?” They were stretching after a particularly brutal practice, with sweat drenching their clothing. Ethan leaned back, his weight resting on his hands. He scrunched his face up in thought.

 

“I don’t know. You guys always call me Blue. Maybe Blue something?” She rolled her eyes. 

 

“Seriously? _Red_ Storm and then _Blue_ something?” She shook her head. “No way. I would never allow one of _my_ students to stoop so low.” He was about to remind her that technically Mark _was_ a student of hers, but she shushed him. “He was already in that hole before I came in the picture, so he doesn’t count.” He chuckled. 

 

“So what would you name me? If you were like, a paper or something? Seeing me shoot energy beams from my hands, seeing me make coffee hot again when you bought it over two hours ago?” He teased her at the last part. She had asked him once if he could do that for her, and much to her amusement, he had agreed. 

 

“I only asked you that  _ once _ , thank you very much!” She joined in on his laughter. Once they had calmed, she cupped her chin in thought. “I don’t know. I guess… You control energy of all types… So what would be something that would capture that?” He shrugged. 

 

“Your call. You’re the journalist covering me in this scenario, remember?” She still looked like she was thinking long and hard about it. She finally perked up.

 

“I know! You crank up the energy to 11. That would be your tagline. I would call you… Um…  _ Crank _ .” He raised his eyebrows. 

 

“Crank?” She nodded enthusiastically. There would be supers on the streets… Red Storm, Septic, Mangle… And  _ Crank _ . He had to admit, it did sound kind of cool. “Okay, I guess I kind of do like it.” She smiled. 

 

“So, Crank, let’s finish up for the day then, shall we?” 

 

It was getting close to four months, getting close to July. He was feeling more and more confident in his skills, and he and Amy were closer than ever. The problem with this?

 

No one else knew what was happening still. It hurt to keep things from his friends, but it was kind of a big deal. Amy gave him a hard time about it, as well.

 

“You know, Mark could be a big help for you at this point.” She would always mention it- that another superpowered person would be a big help for him. He would always dismiss it. 

 

“You know I’m not ready to tell anyone else yet, Amy.” She rolled her eyes. 

 

“I still don’t understand why- especially  _ now _ . You have the skills. At your current skill level, I’m pretty sure Mark was already suited up and on the streets. At this point, it’s all a mental thing.  _ You  _ don’t want anyone else to know,  _ you  _ don’t believe in yourself.” She shook her head. “I don’t get it. You’re awesome, Ethan. I wish you would show everyone else.” 

 

“Amy… I wasn’t lying when I said I don’t have a great place on the team.” She looked ready to pounce on him, but he stopped her. “During the day, I know what I’m doing. I’m the PA. I do everything possible to make Mark’s work easier. I’m good at it, too. But could he get away with me not being there?” He paused. “He could. He did it for a long time without me, too. Storms are the same way. I almost feel like I’m intruding on the team there, some nights. I don’t… I don’t really know my place.” 

 

Amy looked so…  _ Heartbroken _ . She set her hand on his shoulder. For once, he didn’t pull away. Her energy fluttering against his skin no longer bothered him. 

 

“I know it would take a lot more to break through that head of yours, but you’re wrong, Ethan. I hope you know that.” Her voice was quiet. “You’re more important than you realize. You always have been.” There was a pause. “Okay, let’s get back to it before we get more sad.” He was relieved for the change. 

 

It had only been a few days since that conversation, and Amy had constantly tried to bring it up again. She really wanted him to see what she saw in him. He would always shut her down. 

 

The two were in a full-blown practice session when they heard the door to the complex open. The two looked to one another, knowing that no one was supposed to be in for at least another hour or so. They were even more surprised when the door to the studio was unlocked. 

 

Mark stepped into the studio, in time to see his girlfriend and his assistant panting and sweaty beside one another, staring at him nearly as if he were an intruder. He glanced between the two of them. 

 

“Hey, guys.” He greeted, almost as if it were normal. They could see the suspicion rolling off of him despite his easygoing tone. 

 

“What’re you doing here so early, Mark?” Amy spoke up, nervously shifting her eyes back and forth from Ethan to her boyfriend. 

 

“I should be asking you guys the same question.” He responded, his tone suddenly much less welcoming. “Is this where you two have been holing yourselves up in for the past few months?” There was nervous silence in response. “Oh come on- I deserve at least an answer to that.” The two finally nodded. “Would you guys give me an honest answer if I ask what you guys have been doing?”

 

“Mark, we’ve just been practicing martial arts…” Ethan tried to start, but he was waved off. 

 

“You guys have been pulling away from everybody, is what you’ve been doing. I figured it had something to do with why Ethan was acting so weird out of nowhere, but then you guys go through something together and are suddenly attached at the hip and being super secretive. I don’t like being lied to. I don’t like things being kept from me. So come on-  _ spill _ .” 

 

“Mark, you’re sounding  _ jealous _ right now. And not a cute kind, either.” Amy looked angry, but still slightly nervous. 

 

“Of  _ course _ I’m jealous. One of my best friends has been sneaking around with my girlfriend doing who knows what-” Amy went to cut him off, but he kept going. “And don’t try to say that you guys have just been doing early hour martial arts classes, because that would hardly warrant all the sneaking you two have been doing.” The culprits snuck a guilty glance to one another. “Just tell me the truth. That’s all I want.” Ethan didn’t look ready to confess. Amy took a deep breath before beginning. 

 

“Mark, look, we’ve really  _ just  _ been practicing.” The younger man was in awe of her loyalty. She really wasn’t going to budge if he didn’t want her to. The guilt was beginning to overflow. 

 

“That’s bull and you know it! Just tell me- please. I just want to know the-” Amy and Mark looked ready to battle, as Ethan cut off his boss’ tirade. 

 

“Stop!” The two pulled away, seeing him and his shaking extremities. “Mark… The truth- the truth is…” He took a deep breath, feeling a different kind of sweat begin to mark his brow and his palms. “Amy’s been helping me train, but not… Not normal training.” Bewilderment spread across the older man’s face. 

 

“Ethan, come on…” He blurted it out before his friend could continue.

 

“I have superpowers!” Mark’s jaw went slack at the confession. The room was silent- it felt like every sound had left. 

 

“Don’t be pulling my leg here, man…” Ethan shook his head, still feeling his hands trembling. 

 

“I’m not, Mark.” His voice shook as well. “I went home, felt sicker than I ever have…” He gulped. “And suddenly, I had powers. I didn’t… I wanted to keep it a secret. Amy wasn’t supposed to know either, but when we almost got mugged I used my powers to stop them.” The girl only shrugged and nodded as her boyfriend looked to her for confirmation. “Amy convinced me to let her train me. I promise our intentions weren’t to hurt you, or make you jealous or angry in any way… I just wasn’t ready to tell anyone, and Amy was respecting my wishes. I’m sorry.” There was an awkward amount of silence afterward, as his superior processed the information he was just told. 

 

“What can you do?” The tension finally broke as Mark spoke calmly. Amy smiled brightly, and Ethan let out a breath of relief. 

 

“His powers are really cool!” Amy spoke for him. “He can control energy around him. He shut off the lights in my apartment the night we got attacked. He hit the guy with an energy beam!” She relayed. “He can make things cold or hot… It’s neat. He can even control sound waves. It’s crazy.” She rambled, not realizing how nice it was to talk to someone else about it. Her boyfriend nodded, still processing. 

 

“Can I see?” Part of Ethan was still nervous about what was to come next, but he smiled. Mark wasn’t mad. It was a relief.

 

“Sure.”

 

-

 

It didn’t take long for the pressure that Ethan was fearing to rear its head. 

 

Kathryn and Tyler were unsurprisingly supportive after learning of his big secret, and maybe a tad bit upset that they were left out. He felt like a broken record; Amy only knew because of what they went through together. The plan was for  _ no one  _ to know. 

 

It also became a  _ thing  _ to have Ethan show off his powers. He didn’t really like to do it too often; he wondered if it had anything to do with the passing of energy through him, but using his powers often gave him pretty gnarly headaches. But who was he to disappoint his friends if they wanted a little show? 

 

He didn’t mind it at times, either. Amy was no longer afraid to ask her superpowered friend to change the temperature of her morning coffee, even if it brought on relentless teasing. He even joined his friends on pranking Mark, his powers messing with the lighting in the office. It was fun, almost.

 

That is until he saw the suit laying on the table when he arrived for the Storm. He had been a tad late, due to a last minute phone call from his parents, to see his friends standing over a flash of blue on the large counter in the center of the room, normally reserved for equipment. As soon as the door opened, the group turned to look at him.

 

“Uh… Hi?” He was a little confused as to why he was suddenly the center of attention until he saw it. “What is that?” 

 

“What does it look like?” Mark asked, suited up entirely, with the exception of his black face mask and voice disguiser. Ethan approached, pulling the material closer to inspect it. 

 

It was a gorgeous royal blue, darker than most of the shades his hair once was. There were dark brown, almost bronze accents to it, forming a gear design up on the left upper section of the torso. 

 

He turned to the others. “Who… Who did this?” Everyone seemed to glance at one another guiltily until Kathryn sheepishly rose her hand. 

 

“Amy told me that you decided on Crank for a name, and you’ll always be our blue boy, so I just thought…” Her explanation was cut off by the would-be hero stomping from the room, and back down to his office. 

 

Mark reluctantly stayed back, knowing it wasn’t the greatest idea to wander the building in uniform. Amy ran off after her friend, and the other two sat anxiously waiting. 

 

She ended up finding him sitting in his own office chair, his face red and his hair sticking out as if he had already run his hands through it too many times. She pulled up a chair beside him, only to receive silence in response. She allowed it for a few moments, before speaking up.

 

“Ethan… Talk to me.” Her voice was low, nearly a whisper. He didn’t turn to her quite yet.

 

“I told you, Amy. I’m not ready for this. I don’t know if I ever will be. I may have powers, but it is something else entirely to be a  _ hero _ .” He fidgeted with a random Rubik’s cube on his desk. “This is what I was afraid of- losing my place as little  _ Ethan _ , hanging in the background until I’m needed. I’m not ready to be like Mark. He’s... “ He took a deep breath. “He’s one of the biggest superheroes, not just in this town, but famous around the country for the big saves he’s done.” He finally turned to his friend. “Me?” His voice cracked. “I’m  _ Mark Fischbach _ ’s assistant and the boy who moved to LA on a whim. I can’t be him.” 

 

Amy crept closer to him, placing her hand on his. “And who said you have to be  _ him _ ?” Ethan’s skin was still flushed with the rush of emotion. “You care so much about everyone else. You  _ always _ are there for any of us if we need you. You are so dependable, and such a good guy with great morals. You know what that sounds like to me?” They held their eye contact. “That sounds like a pretty damn great superhero to me, Ethan.” 

 

“But what if I fail? What if someone gets hurt?” Amy gave a sad smile.

 

“You’ve seen Mark’s work. There are failures along with his successes. And you know what he does? He moves past them. He learns from them.” Ethan seemed to be  _ finally _ listening to her. “The only person stopping yourself from doing this, from finding your potential in this aspect of life, is  _ you _ .” She paused. “I’m not forcing you to go back upstairs, to throw on a different persona and fight crime. I would never pressure you into anything. I just… I want you to see what we all have seen in you. I want you to just  _ try  _ it. See how you like it. You know?” Ethan took a few deep breaths.

 

“Okay.” His voice sounded more confident than he actually felt. Her eyes widened.

 

“Yeah?” He nodded his head. 

 

“Yeah.” Her eyes crinkled as she broke into a huge grin and threw her arms around him. As she pulled away, he began to make his way to his feet. “Let’s… Let’s go join the others.” 

 

They made their way up the stairs, ready to begin a new journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I already posted about it on my Tumblr (2sidedmonologue) but I am accepting submissions for one or two OC's to have a very small part in the coming chapters. Submissions in the comments section here won't be considered, only Tumblr submissions, please. Thanks!


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